Being a Superhero
by ECLucas
Summary: "Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."-Marc Brown; A collection of stories about the brothers in my human AU; mostly if not all Mikey-centric because he's my favorite; not in chronological order
1. Beginnings Part 1

**A/N: Boys' ages: Leo-7, Raph/Don-6, Mikey-4**

It was never a quiet night in New York City but as far as nights went in the city, this one was pretty quiet. In one of the many apartment buildings littering Manhattan, four brothers were fast asleep. Their parents didn't make much and could only afford a two-bedroom apartment so the young boys were forced to share a room, but they didn't mind. The brothers always stuck together no matter what and always looked after each other, especially the youngest.

An hour or two after midnight, the oldest son woke up suddenly. Leo sat up on the top bunk and looked around in confusion. As his blue eyes began to adjust to the darkness, he glanced at his brothers. The twins, Raph and Don, were still fast asleep. Raph was on the top bunk across the room, sprawled out as always with his blankets kicked to the bottom of the bed. Don was asleep peacefully on the bottom bunk with his arms tucked under his pillow as he slept on his stomach. Leo looked down at the bottom bunk of his own bed. Little Mikey was curled up on his side, his thumb placed firmly in his mouth.

Leo frowned. Usually the only things that woke him up in the middle of the night were his brothers but they seemed to be just fine. Leo was about to go back to sleep when he smelled something. Smoke! Leo scrambled down his ladder and out of the room. The apartment was already beginning to fill up with dark smoke and from under the door Leo could see light from the flames.

With his vision already clouding and his breathing becoming ragged, Leo ran back to his bedroom. "Don, Raph, get up! Fire!" He ran to his youngest brother's bed and shook him awake. "Mikey, wake up!" He turned to make sure that Raph and Don were getting up. "Come on guys, up!"

Raph groaned as he sat up. "What are you yelling about Leo?"

Leo gathered a sleepy Mikey up in his arms. "There's a fire in the building. We gotta get out of here!"

Raph and Don both woke up enough to realize the severity of the situation and hopped out of the bed. Leo carried Mikey as he led Don and Raph out of their bedroom. The apartment had filled up with more black smoke making it almost impossible to see anything. "Grab hands!" Leo ordered.

He felt Don grab his hand just as Raph shouted, "I ain't holding Don's hand!"

"Just do it!" Leo shouted back.

With some grumbling Raph took Don's hand and felt himself being pulled through the living room. Leo felt along the wall as well as he could with one arm around Mikey and the other hand gripping Donnie's tightly. Leo finally found the window and opened it to the fire escape. It was at that moment when Mikey chose to completely wake up and start crying. "Mikey! It's okay buddy!" Leo said trying to calm him down. "Don, Raph, you guys go down first! I'll follow with Mikey!"

They nodded and climbed out of the window. Once he was sure that his brothers were out safely, Leo looked at Mikey. "Okay Mikey, I need you to be brave for me buddy. I'm going to give you a piggyback ride and you have to hold on real tight, okay?" Mikey nodded tearfully and climbed onto Leo's back. As Leo climbed out of the window he added, "Don't look down buddy!"

The climb down was slow but all Leo could concentrate on was his baby brother hanging perilously from his neck. Sweet relief came with the sound of fire trucks coming up the street. Firefighters got to work below them and pretty soon Leo could hear a deep voice directly below him say, "I gotcha son. You're okay." The weight on Leo's back was removed and he panicked slightly as he started to feel light headed. He felt himself being led to one of the trucks and a warm hand placed an oxygen mask over his nose and face.

Leo was starting to doze off when his mind turned back to his brothers. He started to take the mask off when the hand returned and held it still. "Hold on son. You're okay." When the paramedic noticed Leo glancing around frantically he smiled. "Don't worry. Your brothers are okay too. They're in the next truck getting some oxygen. Nice job getting them out."

Leo only calmed a little. There was still something tugging at the edge of his mind. His vision gradually cleared and soon he had a clear view of the burning apartment building. Something was missing.

A few hours later the boys were sharing a hospital room. They were all still hooked up to oxygen but it was more of a precaution than a necessity. Leo was relieved to hear that he and his brothers had only suffered from mild smoke inhalation but he was at a loss. Tears streamed down his face as the doctor left the room. His brothers were asleep so he was the only one to hear the news. How was he going to explain to his brothers that they were now orphans?


	2. Beginnings Part 2

**A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I didn't expect this story to be so popular but I'm glad so many people enjoy it. This chapter is a bit shorter but no worries, more is definitely coming!**

Hamato Yoshi, or Splinter as more people knew him by, walked through the park, as was his daily routine. His wife and daughter used to enjoy walking through the park everyday and after they had died, he just couldn't bring himself to end the tradition. It was a good day for a walk too, warm and sunny with a slight breeze to keep it from getting too hot.

He was about halfway through the trail when he heard the familiar sounds of fighting. He broke off the trail and ran towards the fight. He skidded to a stop but the scene was certainly not one that he was expecting to see. Instead of breaking up a fight, he found himself watching one, sort of.

Three young boys were fighting off to the side, or at least to the untrained eye they were fighting. As a martial arts master and dojo sensei, Splinter could tell that they were in fact sparring, and they were actually pretty good. They were raw and a little undisciplined but Splinter could tell that they definitely had talent and would go far with the right training.

As he watched he noticed that the oldest seemed to look in one direction every few seconds, away from the fight. Splinter looked in the same direction and saw a fourth boy sitting in the grass and watching them, his eyes following every movement. Occasionally the little boy would stand up and mimic one of the moves he just saw. Splinter continued to be impressed as he watched all four of them.

He watched for several more minutes until they stopped and bowed to each other. They looked up in surprise when Splinter started clapping and walking towards them. Leo's eyes narrowed at the strange man and he pulled Mikey close to him. He never even sensed the man watching them. He obviously needed to keep training.

Splinter noticed their wary glances and slowed but didn't stop. "I didn't mean to startle you," Splinter offered as an apology. "I couldn't help but watch. You are very impressive for ones so young, especially you," he said addressing the oldest.

Leo studied the man curiously. He was middle-aged and Leo could tell that he was in very good shape from the way he held himself. His black hair was cut short and was streaked with the occasional gray and his eyes were a warm brown. He didn't seem to be dangerous but Leo kept his guard up nonetheless. "Who are you?" he asked.

Splinter bowed. "Forgive me. I am Hamato Yoshi but many of my students call me Splinter."

"Students?" Don asked.

Splinter nodded. "Yes. I own a dojo."

All wariness disappeared and suddenly the boys looked interested. If he was a dojo sensei he had to be honorable and trustworthy, at least, that was what the boys had learned from their own training. "I'm Leonardo and these are my brothers Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo," Leo introduced, "but everyone calls us Leo, Raph, Don, and Mikey."

Splinter blinked in surprise. The boys had certainly seemed close but he never would've pegged them for brothers. Leo had short black hair and dark blue eyes. Raph had short and spiked dark red hair and green eyes. Don had short shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes. Finally, Mikey had longer wavy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles. They didn't really look alike at all.

Ignoring this, and the unusual names (their parents were obviously fans of the Italian Renaissance), Splinter asked, "How long have you been training?"

Leo and Raph looked at each other. "About two years," Leo answered. "Mikey hasn't started yet though, but he watches us."

Splinter's eyes widened as he looked at the youngest and smallest boy. Mikey grinned up at him with a toothy smile. Leo might've been a natural but now Splinter realized that Mikey probably had the most potential. Splinter had never had a student who was able to mimic a move nearly perfectly without any prior training. He looked around. "Where are your parents? You're not out here by yourself are you?"

The boys suddenly grew solemn. Leo put his arm around Mikey and hugged him. "They died in a fire a month ago. We live at the orphanage."

Splinter's heart went out to them. Losing a loved one was never easy, and he couldn't imagine what it must be like to lose both of your parents at such a young age. Suddenly, he got an idea. "Can you show me?"


	3. Beginnings Part 3

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! They're very encouraging. Just a note, I do realize that orphanages don't exist anymore and I have a very basic understanding of the adoption process but this section is really just to set up the premise for the rest of my stories. Also, because it's an AU (not to mention even if it wasn't, giant talking turtles kind of create an AU in itself), I'm taking a lot of liberties to make the story work the way I'd like. Thanks for the advice though, I always appreciate it. Enjoy!**

As Splinter allowed himself to be taken to the orphanage he asked, "How old are you boys?"

This time Raph answered, his voice already a bit rougher than his brothers. "Leo's 7, me and Donnie are 6, and Mikey's 4."

Splinter nodded. He knew that they would be young but their ages still surprised him. They were just so mature, but he supposed it was to be expected after losing both parents so young. He looked down with a smile as he felt a small hand slip into his. Mikey smiled up at him with that toothy grin that just warmed Splinter's heart. "How old are you?" Mikey asked.

"Mikey!" Leo hissed.

"What?" Mikey asked innocently as he turned around to stare at his older brother, his blue eyes wide.

"You don't just go around asking people how old they are," Don reprimanded him.

"Why not? Splinter did it."

Splinter chuckled at the boy's reasoning. "It's okay boys, I don't mind." He looked at the little boy and smiled. "I'm 34 Mikey."

Mikey's eyes widened. "Wow. You're old." Splinter chuckled again at the groan and what sounded like a face palm behind them. He certainly missed the innocence of a child. "Do you have a family?" Mikey asked.

Splinter hesitated for a second as memories of his wife and daughter came flying back. "I used to," he answered softly. Thankfully even Mikey sensed the sad tone and didn't push the subject.

The awkward silence ended when they arrived at the orphanage. It was an old brick building that had been left over from the turn of the century. Several kids were playing on the sidewalk and on the steps out front. Mikey led Splinter past the kids and into the old building with his older brothers following behind them. "This is the orphanage," he announced proudly.

Splinter looked around and was about to ask Leo where he could find an adult when an older woman came bustling through the commotion. "Boys, what kind of trouble have you gotten into this time?" She stopped short when she noticed Splinter. "Oh, hello, who are you?"

"Hamato Yoshi," he said extending his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you the person in charge of this orphanage?"

The woman shook his hand and nodded. "Yes, I'm Sandra Harris. What have the boys done this time?"

Leo frowned and Mikey shouted, "We didn't do nothing!" just as Splinter shook his head to correct her. "Actually they haven't done anything. They are remarkably polite boys. I was hoping that I could actually talk with you in your office."

The boys watched as Ms. Harris led Splinter to her office. "What do you think he wants to talk to Ms. Harris 'bout?" Mikey asked.

"Who cares?" Raph said with a scoff. He left his brothers to go to their shared room. The others followed as Leo took Mikey's hand and shared a knowing look with Don.

In Ms. Harris's office Splinter sat on the other side of the desk from her. "Okay Mr. Yoshi, what would you like to talk about?"

He ignored the fact that she got his name reversed. Most Americans didn't know that Japanese surnames came first. "I'm interested in adopting those four boys," Splinter told her.

She frowned. "Are you sure? They have some issues. Raphael has anger management problems and is always getting into trouble, Donatello is way too smart for his own good and is always getting into things that he shouldn't be, Michelangelo never sits still and only listens to his brothers if even them, and Leonardo takes everything way too seriously and seems to have some lingering issues from their parents' deaths. One alone is a handful; all four is just ridiculous."

Splinter stared at the woman in disbelief. She couldn't possibly think that! Here were four boys who had just lost their parents only a month ago, now all alone in the world, and she was labeling them as problems. Not to mention the implication of actually splitting them up! "You would really split them up?" he asked.

"Of course," Ms. Harris answered as if it were the most obvious plan in the world. "No one would be able to handle all four boys and even so, there are just no families willing to take in four damaged young boys."

Splinter frowned at her choice of words and forced himself not to say anything about it. "I am willing to take all four in," he reiterated.

Ms. Harris eyed him. "How exactly did you meet them anyway?"

Splinter would've rolled his eyes if the action wasn't considered rude. Now she acted like she cared about them? "I met them while they were…playing in the park," he answered choosing to leave out the fact that they were actually sparring. He had a feeling that Ms. Harris would not take that piece of information very well.

"Oooh, I told those boys to stay near the orphanage," she exclaimed. "See what I mean? Nothing but disobedient troublemakers."

Splinter's frown deepened. "Nevertheless, I am still willing to adopt them."

"And what does your wife say about this?"

Splinter's eyes darkened at the second mention of his family. "My wife died several years ago, along with my daughter," he answered.

Ms. Harris raised a critical eyebrow. "And you think you're capable of caring for four emotionally damaged boys?"

"I have the financial resources and the time," Splinter said firmly. "I own a dojo, which will give the boys a place to release their pent-up energy. The boys told me that they have been training for two years already. I can continue their training personally. As for the emotional toll, I know the pain of losing your family. I can help them through it, and if I can't I am willing to take them to a children's counselor."

"You know that you can't change your mind and dump them back on us when they become too much?"

Splinter frowned again. He didn't like that she implied that he would want to give them up. He was really starting to dislike this woman. "I would not dream of it."

Ms. Harris was quiet for a few minutes before she pulled out several forms. "Very well, if you insist. Fill out these forms. The process normally takes several months to a year but you shouldn't get your hopes up. It's not very often that a single man is allowed to adopt four traumatized boys."

Splinter took the forms and nodded. "Thank you." He left the office and looked around, hoping to run into the boys again but they seemed to have disappeared. He sighed and took a look at the forms in his hands. He had a few calls to make.

**Additional A/N: I wish I could update faster but school just started again this past Monday. If anyone has gone to graduate school (I'm currently in my 2****nd**** year of a JD/MBA), you know how busy it gets, and I work, so bear with me. I'll update as often as I can because love you that you enjoy my story. :)**


	4. Beginnings Part 4

The four brothers piled into their room after leaving Splinter with Ms. Harris. Mikey jumped onto one of the beds with Raph, ignoring his brother's growl when the mattress flopped. "Do you think Splinter's gonna adopt us?" he asked excitedly.

"Don't get your hopes up squirt," Raph said as he fell backwards on the bed, his arms tucked under his head. "No one's gonna adopt all four of us."

"Do you think Ms. Harris is gonna split us up?" Mikey asked frightened.

"That's not going to happen Mikey," Leo tried to assure him. "We're brothers. We're sticking together no matter what happens."

"Actually," Don started, "the statistical likelihood of all four of us getting adopted together is…uh…never mind," he mumbled as Leo shot him a warning glare.

"We're not going to be split up," Leo said firmly. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"And how, oh fearless leader, are you going to do that?" Raph asked mockingly.

Leo didn't answer because for once he didn't have one. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it but he was determined to protect his brothers. For now all he could do was smile reassuringly.

Several weeks passed before the boys heard from Splinter again. They had had several families come by but most were only interested in adopting Mikey. Mikey managed to dissuade them with spoiled brat acts and temper tantrums but Leo knew that it was only a matter of time before a couple saw past that and attempted to take their youngest brother.

They had all but forgotten about Splinter until he arrived on the front steps of the orphanage one sunny July morning. The boys had just finished eating their breakfast and were leaving the dining room when Splinter walked into the foyer. "Splinter!" Mikey shouted as he ran to the older man and hugged him around his legs.

Splinter laughed as he kneeled down to hug the boy back. "Hello Mikey. It's good to see you."

Mikey pulled back and looked Splinter in the eye. "I missed you. Where were you?" he asked seriously.

Splinter smiled softly. "I'm sorry. I missed you too but I had some business to take care of before I came back." He looked over Mikey's blond hair at the older boys. "Is Ms. Harris in her office?"

"She should be," Leo answered.

"Good. I will be right back. Don't go far." He ruffled Mikey's hair before standing up and walking to the main office.

"What do you think that was all about?" Don asked.

"He's gonna adopt us!" Mikey exclaimed jumping up and down.

"I doubt it," Raph grumbled.

"You'll see Raph," Mikey said with a slight pout. "Splinter's gonna adopt us and we'll have a new father and we'll be a family again."

Raph frowned. "I already had a father," he said angrily and ran off to their room.

"Raph!" Leo called after him. He turned back to Don. "Watch Mikey," he instructed him before running after Raph."

Leo found his brother curled up on his side on one of the beds. "Oh Raph," Leo said gently as he closed the bedroom door. He didn't try to hug his brother but he did put a soft hand on his shoulder. "Raph, being adopted doesn't mean that we're replacing our parents."

"Forget it Leo," Raph mumbled into the sheets.

"If Splinter adopts all four of us, we'll be able to stay together," Leo continued, ignoring his brother. "The next couple that comes interested in Mikey might actually want to take him, and I don't think I can stop it next time."

"I don't want them to think we forgot about them," Raph whispered.

"What?"

Raph sat up and turned to face Leo. "What if we get adopted and we forget Mom and Dad?"

This time Leo couldn't help but pull Raph into his arms. Raph resisted at first but after a few seconds he relaxed in his brother's embrace. "We're not going to forget Mom and Dad Raph. They would want us to move on and be adopted." Raph nodded into his brother's chest but didn't say anything else.

In Ms. Harris's office Splinter pulled out several sheets of paper and handed them over to the older woman. Ms. Harris looked over the papers in amazement. "How did you do this? Even the adoption process for approved couples takes longer than this."

Splinter couldn't help but smirk. "I have very good friends."

"I can see that," Ms. Harris said absentmindedly. "And you're sure you want to do this? They can be a handful."

Splinter stood up resolutely. "I am, and I suggest you pay attention to your attitude towards your charges. I suspect that there will be an inspection soon." He left before Ms. Harris could get another word in. Mikey and Don were still waiting the hallway obediently, although Mikey looked like he wouldn't be able to stand still for another minute. He smiled as he kneeled down in front of the young boys. "How would you guys like to come live with me?"

Both Don and Mikey's eyes widened. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" Mikey shouted. He started to spin around in the hallway singing, "We're gonna have a father! We're gonna have a father!"

Don on the other hand was a little less articulate. "But-but-aren't you single?"

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"How did they let you adopt us?"

Splinter winked at him. "I have my connections."

"Are you adopting all four of us?" Don asked. Even Mikey stopped spinning and promptly fell over. Splinter blinked in surprise. "Of course I'm adopting all four of you. Where are Raph and Leo anyway?"

Mikey grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Our room's this way."

Raph pulled away from Leo just as the bedroom door opened. "And we sleep in here," Mikey was saying. He let go of Splinter's hand and ran to Leo. "Leo, Leo, Leo! Splinter's gonna adopt us, all four of us!" He briefly looked over at Raph and stuck out his tongue. "Told ya so."

Leo smiled at his baby brother before looking up at Splinter. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

Splinter looked surprised that he would even ask that question. "Of course."

Leo stood and bowed to him. "Thank you sir. I'll help take care of my brothers. You won't have to worry about them."

Splinter sighed and got on one knee. He put his hands on Leo's shoulders forcing the young boy to look at him. "The only thing I want you to do is concentrate on school, your training, and being a kid."

He felt his heart soar as he watched Leo's blue eyes light up. "We get to continue our training?"

"Yes. I'll be training you myself."

He looked over to the bed where Raph was watching them silently. The redhead squirmed under the scrutiny. "So uh, what do we call you then?" he asked.

"You can call me whatever you want," Splinter answered. "Splinter, Sensei, whatever you feel comfortable with."

Raph looked down as he kicked his feet. "I guess it'll be nice to get outta this place," he said with a small grin as he looked back up at his family.

Splinter grinned. "Good. Pack your things. It's time to go home."

**A/N: The story isn't over! As my summary says, this is a collection of stories and I have plenty more planned; this is just the beginning!**


	5. Nightmares

**A/N: Boys' ages: Leo-7, Raph/Don-6, Mikey-4; Sorry it took so long to update. Enjoy!**

It had been several months since Splinter adopted the boys and they had begun to adjust relatively well. All four, including Mikey to his extreme happiness, began training at Splinter's dojo. The change was almost instantaneous. Leo threw himself into his training, infusing his natural leadership skills into guiding his brothers in their own training. He was still the most serious of the four and still had a tendency to lead his brothers when he could, but outside of the dojo he was much more relaxed than Splinter had seen him at the orphanage. Raph still had his anger management issues but Splinter was working with him to use that anger in his training. It was a slow process but the results were gradually starting to reveal themselves when the number of Raph's angry outbursts began to decrease. Don had probably surprised Splinter the most. Ms. Harris had mentioned that he was smart but that had definitely been an understatement. Don was brilliant. It had taken the first several weeks for Splinter to convince Don that he wasn't going to send him back if they did anything wrong. Once he was confident in his place with Splinter, Don had revealed himself to be a pretty adept inventor. He was quieter than his brothers, although just as talented in the dojo, but when it came to academics he shined. The once quiet dojo was now filled with the occasional sound of an explosion from Don's latest invention. Mikey was still his cheerful, bouncy self. His unlimited energy and short attention span kept his training sessions short but the little boy was eager to catch up to his older brothers so he progressed quickly.

Splinter also experienced a change. The hole that had been left behind by the deaths of his wife and daughter was starting to fill. The pain never completely went away, and he was sure that the same was true for the boys regarding their parents, but the pain was certainly starting to lessen.

Despite the success they had becoming a family, they still had their occasional setbacks. A couple of months after being adopted, Mikey tossed and turned in his bed. The boys had opted to sleep in bunk beds again so Leo and Mikey slept in one room while Don and Raph slept in the other.

Leo sat up in his bed and looked around. He waited for a minute before he heard a whimper from below him. As he looked down he saw Mikey tangled up in his bed sheets with a pained look on his face. Leo climbed down the ladder and attempted to shake his baby brother awake. "Mikey, wake up! You're having a nightmare. Mikey!"

It took a few seconds but Mikey's bleary blue eyes opened up to look at his brother's dark blue ones. Mike's eyes glistened with unshed tears and Leo's heart broke. He sat down on the bed and pulled Mikey into his lap. Mikey gripped his brother's blue pajama top and Leo could feel it becoming damp with Mikey's tears. "Did you have another nightmare buddy?" Mikey nodded into Leo's chest, still shaking slightly from his sobs. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Mikey shook his head. Leo sighed and just held his brother until he was ready to talk.

After about five minutes the bedroom door opened and Leo looked up. Don and Raph walked in and looked at Mikey. "He had another nightmare?" Don asked as he ran gentle fingers through his brother's soft blond hair. Leo nodded without saying anything and the two remaining brothers gathered around to offer support.

It was another five minutes before Splinter woke up in his room. Something was wrong but he wasn't sure what. He looked around the room quickly as his eyes adjusted to the darkness before he got out of bed to go check on the boys. He checked on Don and Raph's room first and panicked upon finding it empty until he heard whispers coming from Leo and Mikey's room. When he went to check he found all four boys sitting on Mikey's bed with their heads together and whispering. "Boys?" he said announcing his presence. "What are you doing up?"

The boys jumped lightly in surprise and turned to Splinter with guilty looks on their faces. "Sorry Sensei. We didn't mean to wake you," Leo apologized.

Splinter waved his hand to dismiss the apology. "What's wrong? Why are you awake?"

They hesitated before looking down at Mikey who was still settled in Leo's arms. "Mikey had a nightmare," Don told their adopted father truthfully.

Splinter nodded and went to sit on the bed with them. Leo reluctantly let go of Mikey as Splinter took him. "Mikey, have you been having a lot of nightmares?"

"Only occasionally," Leo answered for him. "He's been getting better."

"Thank you Leo but I was asking Mikey," Splinter said gently. "Mikey?" Mikey nodded. "What are they about?"

Mikey shuddered in his arms and Splinter felt terrible for making Mikey go through this but he had to talk about it or the nightmares would surely continue. Finally Mikey whispered, "The fire." Splinter waited patiently for Mikey to continue so Mikey took a deep breath. "I dreamed about our parents dying in the fire."

Splinter nodded his understanding. "Do you boys ever have nightmares too?" Leo and Don nodded slowly but Raph simply shook his head. Leo skeptically eyed him until Raph sighed heavily and nodded as well with a slight glare at his older brother. "If you boys ever have a nightmare, you can always come to see me. It's common for people to have dreams or even nightmares about their loved ones after losing them. There's nothing wrong with it." Splinter hesitated before continuing. "I still have nightmares sometimes about my wife and daughter." The boys perked up some. Splinter rarely talked about his late wife and daughter. "They were killed in a car accident seven years ago and even though it was seven years ago, I still dream about them."

"Why does it hurt so bad?" Mikey asked as he wiped his nose with his bright orange sleeve.

"Because you loved them so much," Splinter explained. "The pain will probably never go away and that's okay because it just shows how much they mean to you. The key is to remember the good times that you had with them. I know that your parents loved you guys a lot and would want you to be happy." The boys nodded and Mikey sniffed again. "Are you ready to go back to bed now?" Mikey nodded so they all got off of his bed so that Splinter could tuck him in.

Don and Raph stood around awkwardly until Splinter chuckled. "Would you two like to stay with your brothers tonight?" They nodded enthusiastically. "Go on."

Once Don was settled in the top bunk with Leo and Raph was wrapped around Mikey in the bottom bunk, Splinter said, "I'll call the school in the morning and tell them that you won't be in. I think we all need a day off. Now, go to sleep."

Mikey closed his eyes as Splinter turned off the light and left the room. He heard Raph grunt as Mikey wiggled and got comfortable in his older brother's arms but didn't stop until he was settled. He fell asleep quickly and slept through the night without any nightmares.


	6. Bullies Part 1

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken so long for me to update. School's been really busy and the college baseball season started a month ago. Since I work for a college team, I'm at practice or a game nearly every day, along with school, and prepping for my summer job. All in all I don't have as much time to write. Then my computer broke. Haha Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try to update again soon! **

**Boys' ages: Leo-17, Raph/Don-16, Mikey-14; I know this prompt has been done before but I just love it so much. Enjoy!**

Mikey's eyes shot open. It was still dark outside and the fact that Leo was still asleep the in the bed across the room from him meant that it was really early. Mikey glanced at the clock and nearly groaned. It was an hour before the alarm would go off but he was just too excited to go back to sleep. Unlike most kids who weren't fond of school, Mikey couldn't wait to go. It wasn't just the first day of school for Mikey; it was the first day of high school. Mikey had been waiting for this day since Leo's freshman year.

As quietly as a ninja, Mikey snuck out of the bedroom without changing out of his pajamas. Unsure of what to do for the next hour, Mikey double-checked his backpack and then went to the dojo to train. It was about forty minutes before Leo walked in fully dressed in his gi and his hair already combed. Mikey wasn't surprised that his brother would wake up before the alarm clock. Leo raised an eyebrow at Mikey as he went for his katanas. Mikey was never up this early, even for training. "Mikey? What are you doing up so early?"

Mikey finished his routine and tucked his nun chucks under his arms as he turned to his older brother. "Couldn't sleep," Mikey answered as he ran a hand over his sweaty blond hair, the strands sticking up everywhere. "I'm too excited," he added.

Leo grinned. Mikey was nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet. Of course, Mikey was almost always excited about something. It wasn't long before the rest of the family joined them in the dojo. It had become a daily event for the family to meet in the dojo and spar for about an hour before breakfast. Raph was facing Mikey when he saw an opening and swept his leg under Mikey. He sighed and then helped his baby brother up, knocking him in the head with a gentle fist. "What's going on in that head of yours this morning?" Raph asked. "You're better than that."

Mikey grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry Raph. I guess I'm just a bit nervous about school."

Don laughed. "You? Nervous?"

Raph grabbed his brother into a headlock and ruffled his hair. "You'll be fine, and if anyone messes with you, you come find me."

Mikey fought his way out of Raph's hold and patted his perpetually messy hair down. "Gotcha."

Splinter had opted to send the boys to public school so that they could meet different people, but after having lived in the same area for so long, nearly everybody knew the brothers, especially the always-friendly Mikey. Even the high school teachers knew of Mikey while he was still in elementary school because he would cross the street to the high school every day to meet his brothers at the end of the day. But now he didn't need to cross the street. Now he walked into the same building as his brothers after Leo parked.

Don helped Mikey find his lockers before the brothers parted ways as the first bell rang. Mikey's classes were fun; out of his eight teachers, five of them had had one or more of his brothers in previous years. He was popular with his classmates already due to his cheerful nature and shared his lunch period with Raph and Casey who were more than happy to eat with the freshman. The first was going smoothly, until Mikey ran into some trouble while waiting for his brothers at the end of the school day.

Mikey had promised to wait for his brothers just outside of the school. Raph usually hung out with Casey but Leo had to finish up Student Council business as the new President and Don was now running the school's science club. Mikey looked at the time on his phone when he sensed a group of people approaching him. He looked up and inwardly groaned. A group of five large seniors were walking towards him with matching sinister grins. He recognized them from when he would walk over and his brothers had talked about them over dinner. Jeff, Cameron, Luke, Mark, and Terrance were the epitomes of high school bullies, stealing lunch money, beating kids up, and generally picking on those weaker than they.

Jeff, their leader, drew up so close to Mikey that the blond had to consciously avoid not backing away from his stale breath. "Look boys, another Hamato orphan, or as I like to call them, fresh meat. What's wrong baby Hamato? Did your brothers abandon you like your parents?" His friends laughed.

Mikey's fist clenched in anger but he kept quiet. "He asked you a question kid," Terrance said getting into Mikey's face.

"Guys, someone's coming," Mark warned.

"Too bad, I'm not done playing with my new favorite toy," Jeff taunted. "I'll see you tomorrow baby Hamato. And no crying to big brothers, or else."

Mikey watched gratefully as Leo and Don came out of the building just as Jeff and his gang left. "Sorry it took so long Mikey," Leo apologized. He frowned. "You okay?"

Mikey blinked in surprise. He wasn't aware that he looked like something was wrong but he plastered on a fake smile anyway. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Leo and Don studied him for a minute before Leo nodded and said, "Okay, let's go home."


	7. Bullies Part 2

Mikey had hoped that the bullying would end after a few days but Jeff's gang seemed determined to torment him. Every morning he would get to the school with his brothers and as soon as they split up Jeff would find him. It always started with Jeff taking his lunch or his lunch money and ended with a quick punch to the gut. Mikey knew that with his skills he could've taken them, but he also knew that he couldn't use his abilities on others unless he was in real trouble. But he was strong; he could take this.

Mikey kept the bullying a secret from his brothers for as long as he could. It wasn't until one of his teachers approached him that he even knew that anyone noticed something wrong.

Mikey was putting his math book back into his backpack after class when his teacher cam up to him. "Mikey?" The boy looked up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You've been pretty quiet lately," she explained. "You still answer my questions but you don't seem as cheerful as you usually are. Is everything alright at home?"

Mikey blinked in surprise. "Yes! I'm sorry; I didn't realize. No, everything's okay. I guess I'm still getting used to high school. There's a lot more work than middle school," he added with a nervous laugh.

His teacher smiled. "Okay, as long as everything's alright. You come talk to me if something's wrong, okay?"

Mikey nodded and left the classroom, his backpack hanging off of one shoulder. He started walking to his next class when he saw Jeff and his gang coming his way. Mikey hesitated and looked around for a place to go, but it was too late. "Hey, baby Hamato!"

Mikey grimaced and faced the older teens. "What do you want Jeff?" He was starting to get fed up with this.

Jeff smirked. "Oh, baby Hamato's got a bit of an attitude. Have you been telling anybody about your daily donation to a lunch fund?"

"No Jeff."

Jeff suddenly grabbed Mikey by the front of his shirt and roughly pulled him forward. "You know, I don't think I like this new attitude. I think we need to fix it."

Mikey's eyes widened and he struggled to pull away. "I'm sorry Jeff; just let me go. I'm going to be late for class."

Jeff just smirked and with the help of Cameron and Terrence, the five boys dragged Mikey to the side of the school. As soon as they got into the alley, Jeff punched Mikey in the stomach. Unprepared, Mikey doubled over in pain and fell to one knee. His backpack slipped off his shoulder and fell into a puddle.

Even through the pain Mikey could sense the next fist coming for his head and he managed to roll away. Unfortunately that only fueled the gang's anger. One of the teens kicked up, catching Mikey in the chin and he flew backwards. With an angry growl, Mikey rolled again onto his side and swiped his foot under Mark, forcing the boy to fall into the wall.

Mikey stood, his fists in front of him. He was getting tired of this. He dodged another fist and punched Terrence in the jaw. Jeff snarled and grabbed Mikey's head, smashing his face against his knee. Mikey stumbled back seeing stars and bumped into the wall behind him. His vision was blurry but he could just make out a few figures approaching him. Rather than try to fight back, Mikey ran past them and around the corner.

Mikey tried shaking his head clear but it was still spinning. He could hear Jeff and his buddies running behind him so he kept running. He turned another corner when he ran into something hard. "Mikey?"

Mikey looked up as his vision finally started to clear. "Casey?"

Casey leaned down and helped his best friend's brother up. "What are you doin' out here? Don't cha have class?"

"Umm."

Casey frowned and narrowed his eyes at Mikey's face. His nose was already starting to swell from where Jeff had hit him. "And what happened to ya face?"

Mikey was just thinking up an excuse when Jeff and his friends rounded the corner. They skidded to a stop at the sight of a quickly angering Casey. "Jeff, why am I not surprised?"

"Jones," Jeff said as he walked up to them slowly. "Little Mikey and we was just havin' a talk is all."

Casey smirked and cracked his knuckles threateningly. "Oh really. How's about you and me have a little talk instead?"

Jeff glanced at his friends. "I think we'll pass. We'll talk to you later Hamato."

Mikey let out a sigh of relief as they walked away. "Thanks Casey."

"No problem. Have they been messin' with ya?" Mikey flinched and that was all the answer Casey needed. "Have you told your brothers?"

"It's fine; I can take care of it," Mikey insisted.

"Yeah, looks like it," Casey said sarcastically. "Why haven't you told them?"

"Because I don't need my brothers to fight my battles for me!" Mikey exclaimed. "Look, you can't tell them. If they find out, they'll be really upset."

"Hell yeah they'd be upset."

"Please Casey," Mikey pleaded. "Promise you won't tell them."

Casey sighed. "Alright, but if it gets worse you need to tell them."

Mikey nodded and went back for his backpack.


	8. Bullies Part 3

**Sorry for my absence. I thought I would have more time to write this summer, but as always, I kind of overloaded myself. I'm finishing up three jobs, four classes, and two major papers this summer. But I finally took some time out to try and write a few chapters, just in case I fall behind again. Thanks for your patience and I promise to try harder to update my stories faster. ****J**

Mikey managed to avoid his brothers for the rest of the day, even though he had to make up an excuse for missing his class, but there was no way to avoid them after school. As soon as they met up in front of the school, all three were on him.

"Mikey! What the hell happened to your face?" Leo exclaimed.

Mikey grimaced. He had seen his face in the mirror before meeting with his brothers and it wasn't a pretty sight. The swelling in his nose had gone down some but it was still red and he already had two black eyes forming. Mikey flinched away as Don tried to inspect his injuries. "It's nothing guys. A couple of us just a got a bit rough earlier. It was an accident."

"That was one hell of an accident," Raph commented as he inspected the injuries next to his twin.

Mikey ran a hand through his messy blond hair "Yeah. I'm okay though." He only hoped his brothers didn't notice the way he was holding his stomach.

Things only got harder once they got home. "Michelangelo," Splinter said as they walked through the door. "The school called to inform me that you missed your seventh period class."

Mikey groaned. He completely forgot that the school called their parents if they missed class. His brothers looked at him curiously as he hurried to think of an answer. "I wasn't feeling well and fell asleep."

Splinter frowned and felt Mikey's forehead. "Are you feeling alright now my son?"

"Yes sir," Mikey said. "I'm just going to go law down."

The family watched Mikey head upstairs. Splinter looked at his older sons. "Did something happen at school today?"

"Mikey said that he and his friends had an accident, but he didn't say anything else," Leo answered.

Splinter nodded. "Okay. Finish your homework and then train until dinner."

"Yes Sensei."

Mikey woke up the next morning sore and regretting not at least grabbing a bag of ice for his injuries. He was stiff and not looking forward to morning training. He dragged himself into the dojo and began stretching.

His sluggishness didn't go unnoticed. His father and brothers were careful to watch him as he sparred but soon Leo had to step in when Mikey's movements began to slow. "Hey buddy, are your injuries still bothering you?"

Mikey hated to look weak in front of his brothers but right now he didn't care. He was miserable and in pain and all he wanted to do was to curl into a ball and let his brothers baby him like they usually did. Instead he simply nodded his head and sat down on the mat.

Don kneeled down next to him and felt his forehead with the back of his hand. "You're a bit warm. Maybe you should stay home from school today."

As much as Mikey wanted to stay home, he knew that staying home would only provoke Jeff and his gang. "No, I'm okay," he insisted.

Don eyed him suspiciously but nodded anyway. "Okay. Just take it easy today alright," he said with a grin as he ruffled his baby brother's hair.

Mikey playfully swatted his hand away and laughed. "Yeah."

The school day started normally and by the last period, Mikey thought that he might be able to get through the day unscathed. He was just leaving his last class when his luck ran out.

Before he could meet up with his brothers, Jeff and his friends surrounded him. The looks on their faces were not playfully or menacing. They were downright deadly. Jeff gave Mikey a smirk that promised immense pain. "Hi baby Hamato. We never got to finish our talk."

Mikey looked around for help but everyone was suspiciously ignoring them. He couldn't fight his way out with so many people around, and without Jeff or one of the others attacking first, he would just be suspended for fighting at school. All he could do was allow them to take him away and hope for the best.

Mikey narrowly missed seeing his brothers as Jeff led behind the school. There wasn't much space but it was big enough for the gang to surround Mikey, and isolated enough that the students wouldn't come back there. Mikey gulped as the older teens pulled out wrenches and pipes. This wasn't good.

Leo and Raph stood in front of the school waiting for Mikey. Don had another meeting so he was taking the subway home later. Leo frowned and looked at his phone. Mikey was never late, and if he thought he might be, he always called. Leo tried calling again but his baby brother's phone simply kept ringing before going to voicemail. His fraternal instincts were flaring at this point. Something was wrong.

Raph was leaning against the school with his arms crossed over his chest when he thought he heard a yell. He frowned and looked around but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He shrugged and resumed people watching when he heard it again. By the look on Leo's face, he had heard it too.

Raph looked down the alley between the school and the neighboring apartments. No one ever went behind the school, not even faculty and staff. He heard another yell and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. With his gut churning he ran down the alley, ignoring Leo's frantic call behind him. Raph knew that yell. That yell had woken him up countless times in the middle of the night, alerted him to an injury during sparring, and protested when he got to rough playing.

He skidded to a stop at the end of the alley and saw red. Mikey, his baby brother, was lying in the middle of a group of seniors as they beat him with their pipes and laughed. Jeff stood there watching the entire thing, taunting the freshman. Raph didn't even hear Leo behind him as he jumped into the group and started throwing them off Mikey. The teens tried to scatter but Rap was quick to bring several down, pounding them angrily into the dirt until their faces were as bloodied as Mikey's.

Raph was about to chase after a few who escaped when Leo's anguish cry stopped him. Leo sat with an unconscious Mikey cradled in his lap, a hand gently running through Mikey's bloody hair. "Raph, call 911!"


	9. Bullies Part 4

Leo watched as Raph paced in the waiting room. He knew Raph wanted to be out hunting those kids just as bad as he did, but the doctor still hadn't come back out with news about Mikey. There were dozens of questions running through Leo's mind. How long had this been going on? Why were they picking on Mikey? Why didn't Mikey fight back? Why didn't Mikey tell someone? Why didn't Mikey tell them?

Leo's head shot up when the hospital doors slammed open. Splinter ran in with Don, April, and Casey right behind him. Leo had never seen their father look so scared. His face was pale and he looked around frantically until he spotted his oldest son. "My son, how is he? What happened?"

Leo stood up as Splinter approached and shook his head. "I don't know Sensei. The doctor's haven't said anything yet."

Raph stopped pacing long enough to say angrily, "It was those bullies, Jeff and his gang. They were beating up on him with pipes!"

April gasped and Casey paled. "Why?" Don asked.

"I don't know but I'm gonna find out," Raph said cracking his knuckles threateningly.

Before he could do anything though the doctor walked through the door. "Michelangelo Hamato?"

He started when the large group rushed him. "How is my son?" Splinter asked desperately.

The doctor composed himself and looked over the charts in his hands. "Considering what your sons told me about the attack, he's relatively well off. He managed to protect his head so he only has a mild concussion. However, his right arm is broken and his back will be sore for quite some time. He had some mild internal bleeding from being kicked but we've managed to stop it. Overall, he's black and blue and in some pain, but he'll be okay. We've given him some morphine to take the edge off, but he's awake right now if you want to see him."

Splinter took the doctor's hand gratefully and bowed. "Thank you."

The doctor blushed slightly. "Thank your sons. If they hadn't brought him in so quickly it would've been worse."

The doctor led the family to Mikey's room and left them alone. Even Raph couldn't hold in his gasp as they took in their youngest. He looked a lot worse than 'he'll be okay'. Both eyes were still black from the previous day and his nose took up a third of his face. There was a brand new, white cast on his right forearm and up and down both arms were thick bruises. His lower half was covered but they could only imagine what his stomach looked like.

Mikey gave them a drug-induced smile as they walked in. "Hi guys."

Splinter sighed and walked up to the side of the bed, grabbing a chair and grabbing his son's intact arm as he sat. "What happened Michelangelo?"

"And don't give us any crap about you and the guys getting too rough," Raph barked.

Mikey flinched so Raph calmed down a bit, but just a bit. The blonde looked down at his sheets; he didn't want to see his brothers' disappointed faces when they found out. But it wasn't Mikey who told them. "Jeff and his gang have been pickin' on him for a while," Casey answered.

All heads turned to look at him. "You promised not to tell Casey!" Mikey accused.

Raph turned on him. "You're in the hospital you numbskull! How could you not tell us?"

"You knew?" Don asked Casey.

When Casey didn't answer immediately Raph turned his anger on his best friend. The muscular teen grabbed Casey's collar and slammed him up against the wall. "You knew, and you didn't tell us? You didn't even try to help him?" Raph snarled.

"I did try!" Casey insisted. "Mikey didn't want you guys knowing!"

"He's right Raph! Put him down," Mikey pleaded. Raph waited a second before letting his friend go. "I didn't want you guys to know," Mikey admitted.

Leo took Mikey's other side and carefully brushed some hair back, avoiding any injuries. "Why Mikey?"

Mikey leaned into Leo's warm touch. "I thought I could handle it myself. I don't want you guys always fighting my battles for me."

Don gave his little brother a soft look. "Mikey, we're brothers. We'll always fight each others battles together."

Splinter nodded. "Your brothers are right. You can always come to us with a problem."

April frowned. "Why didn't you fight them back? You could easily beat them."

"I didn't want to get in trouble for fighting, and I didn't want to hurt them," Mikey added.

His brothers shook their heads softly. Only Mikey would be concerned with hurting students when they were beating him up. "No more worrying about that little brother," Leo said. "Or worrying about bullies at all. We'll take care of it."

Splinter glanced at his sons briefly before saying, "Go to sleep Michelangelo. We'll be here when you wake up." Mikey nodded and let the morphine take effect. When they were sure he was asleep Splinter looked at Leo. "You know that I do not condone revenge." Leo waited. "But fear is usually an effective strategy as well."

Raph gave a toothy-grin and punched a fist into his open palm. "Fear, I can do."

Jeff and what remained of his gang were lounging in the park laughing. "I guess we can't go after baby Hamato anymore," Jeff lamented. "Too bad, he was a great punching bag."

"I bet you are too."

Jeff whipped around. Leo, Raph, Don, and Casey stood in front of the group. Jeff chuckled. "Come to avenge your baby sister? You can't take on all of us."

The four pulled out their respective weapons. "We're not here to take you on," Leo said, "no matter how much Raph wants to beat you to a pulp. We're here to warn you. You so much as look at our brother wrong again, you'll deal with us." He nodded towards Raph.

Raph grinned and threw his sais at a tree behind the group, just missing the faces of two boys. With a single leap he flipped and twisted so he landed on the jungle gym that the gang had been sitting on. "And we fight back."

Jeff looked a little less certain but still said, "You'll get in trouble for fighting too."

Leo smirked. "Didn't you know Jeff? Our father trained us. We can easily take you down without leaving evidence."

As if to prove a point, Don whipped his bo staff at Jeff so it just missed his face. "We don't mind hurting students who hurt our family."

The gang stepped back some. They had never seen the genius look so angry.

"So stay away from our brother and we won't have any problems," Leo said. "And if we hear about you bullying anyone again, you'll deal with us too, except we won't give you a warning first. Understood?"

Behind Jeff his friends were nodded their heads enthusiastically. Jeff nodded as well, although a bit reluctantly. "Yeah, understood."

"Good." They were gone.

The next time Mikey woke up he was feeling a lot better. Casey and April were gone but his brothers and his father were all sitting around his room. Splinter was reading, Donnie was working on a new invention, Leo was meditating, and Raph…Raph was conked out in the chair next to his bed. Mikey grinned. He wished he had a camera.

Splinter noticed the teen awake and put his book down with a smile. "Michelangelo, how are you feeling?"

The others stopped what they were doing as well and looked at him. "Much better," Mikey admitted. "It doesn't hurt so bad anymore."

Splinter nodded. "The doctor said you will be able to leave tomorrow, after you get your permanent cast."

Mikey smiled brightly. "Yes! I can get orange."

His outburst woke Raph up who started with a snort and looked around in confusion. "Huh? What?"

Mikey looked at him with a completely serious face. "Raph, did you know that you drool in your sleep?"

Raph blushed red and rubbed at his mouth. "No I don't!"

Mikey burst out laughing. "No, but you're adorable when you sleep!"

Raph growled and ruffled Mikey's hair carefully. "You'll pay for that when you're better."

"Those guys won't bother you or anyone again," Leo said. "But next time you have a problem, you better tell us."

Mikey nodded. "I will. Sorry guys, and thanks."

Raph grinned and pulled Mikey in for a careful one-armed hug. "That's what brothers are for little bro. That's what brothers are for."


End file.
